How to Research the History Behind a Coin There is something quietly thrilling about holding a coin that has passed through dozens — perhaps hundreds — of hands over the centuries. A Georgian penny, a Victorian shilling, a hammered silver groat from the reign of Edward III. Each one is a small, solid piece of … Read more
Celtic Coins of Ancient Britain A World Hiding in Plain Sight There is a moment that every Celtic coin collector remembers. For many it happens in a museum – standing in front of a small glass case at the British Museum or the Ashmolean in Oxford, peering at a handful of gold staters no bigger … Read more
Roman Coins Found in Britain: A Collector’s Guide There is something genuinely extraordinary about holding a Roman coin in your hand. A small, worn disc of bronze or silver, perhaps two thousand years old, stamped with the face of an emperor who ruled over a vast empire – and yet here it is, sitting in … Read more
Coin Fairs in the UK: Where to Find Them If you’ve recently caught the coin collecting bug, you’ll quickly discover that buying online or visiting a local coin shop is only part of the story. Coin fairs are where the real magic happens. They’re busy, sometimes noisy, occasionally overwhelming, and absolutely brilliant. Where else can … Read more
UK Coin Collecting Clubs and Societies: Your Guide to Joining the Community One of the best things you can do when you start collecting coins is to find your people. And in the UK, there are plenty of them. From small local clubs meeting above a pub in a market town to national societies with … Read more
Coin Catalogues and Price Guides for UK Collectors Every coin collector, no matter how experienced, relies on reference material to understand what they own, what something is worth, and what they should be looking for next. For UK collectors in particular, the range of coinage history stretches back over a thousand years, covering Anglo-Saxon pennies, … Read more
Using a Loupe and Microscope for Coin Examination Why Magnification Matters More Than You Think The first time I picked up a loupe at a coin fair in Birmingham, I held it up to a George III halfpenny and suddenly saw a world I had been completely blind to. The hair on the portrait was … Read more
How to Avoid Fake Coins When Buying Online A Hard Lesson Learned A few years ago, a collector from Nottingham shared his story on a popular UK coin forum. He had been building a set of pre-decimal British coins for about eighteen months, and he was thrilled when he found what appeared to be a … Read more
Coin Auctions in the UK: How They Work for Beginners Walking into your first coin auction – or logging into one online for the first time – can feel like arriving at a party where everyone else seems to know exactly what they are doing. The auctioneer speaks quickly, paddles go up, and lots disappear … Read more
Royal Mint Products: Are They Worth Buying? Walk into any coin fair in the UK – whether it’s the London Coin Fair at the Holiday Inn on Bloomsbury Street or a local numismatic club meeting in a draughty village hall – and you’ll almost certainly hear a debate about Royal Mint products. Some collectors swear … Read more